Harbinger
by iffulovedme
Summary: YukiSana. YukiKiri. KiriYana. Yukimura will always choose tennis. Genichirou will always choose Yukimura. Akaya will never stop believing. But then Yukimura got hurt. Yukimura’s back but not quite himself. Does the future hold more smiles or a break down?
1. Wash It All Away: Yukimura's POV

The rain always calms you. The gentle sounds it makes as it softly pelts against your upturned face, clouds cry harder and you rejoice in the refreshing feeling it gives you. Almost like tears. You take the cap off your head, eager to get drenched further You tilt your head back until you hear a creak and hold. Rikkai Dai students walk by, trying and failing not to outright stare. Some ask politely in a wondering tone if you'd like an umbrella. You ignore them and they fall silent. They walk onwards, moving on with their lives. Still others are more daring, you can identify Niou's sarcastic voice as he asks, "Yukimura-buchou, are you _trying _to drown yourself?"

"Buchou! You're gonna catch cold!" Your smile is slight and goes unnoticed as you hear Akaya worry, frantically rushing back and forth, unsure of what to do. Because he can't order you around and he knows it. It isn't until Yanagi says in that perfectly reasonable tone he has, "Seiichi, he's watching from inside," that you sigh and go inside with the other regulars that have gathered.

_He _rises immediately from his seat by the window, towel in hand. He pauses, hesitating. You can tell, could always tell, that he wants to talk but is restraining himself. Usually, you like to see him squirm but today you want to get this over with.

"I'm fine." Your eyes flash, daring them to contradict you. They don't.

"I know." Really, they're worried about a cold when you just stared death in the face as you lay on the table. _No, don't think about that. _You tremble slightly. _He _is by your side in an instant. You gaze at him quietly, needing him to understand that you can't do this now. Your words reach him and he inclines his head.

He clears his throat. "Since it's raining you can all go home."

No one leaves. Maybe it's the absence of the hat, but Sanada isn't as frightening as he once was. Or maybe it's the sound of his voice, the weariness that makes everything that much blander. He seems...relaxed. All of your regulars turn to look at you. "You heard Genichirou, practice is canceled."

There is movement and then silence. Akaya glances back at you, worry shining in his dark eyes. "Ah, Buchou?"

"Yes?"

"Shall I wait for you at the bus stop?"

You smile. "If you want."

Akaya's smile is full of relief and something else. "'Kay." He turns to look at Sanada. "Don't bore him for too long!" He's gone and crackling before Sanada can threaten him with laps.

"The little brat." There is tenderness in his voice that wasn't there before. It ignites a spark of jealousy and you wonder briefly what happened while you were at the hospital. But you easily extinguish it. Akaya is special to all of the three monsters.

"Yukimura, is there something you wanted to tell me?"

You sigh because he still won't use your first name. Your thoughts turn to his question.

"Yes, I suppose there is."

He waits for you like he always has, silently, until you're ready.

"I…hate hospitals. It's funny, I didn't before I had to be stuck in one." You run a hand through your damp hair. "It kept me away from tennis," you say ruefully. Your eyes catch his. "Away from you. Away from Rikkai Dai."

He looks straight back at you. "We tried to bring you Kantou."

"I know. Thank you. You lead the team for me."

"They won't, now you're back," he pauses. "I never realized now much pressure it was."

"Genichirou," you chide lightly. "I'm still…weak. You'll have to lead the team."

He shakes his head immediately and your eyebrows rise in surprise. "You're not weak," he objects.

"I'm not weak," you repeat.

He nods and then alarm shows on his face. "Seiichi! You're…you're crying…" he says, incredulous and saddened at the same time.

"Oh, am I?"

He lifts his hand to wipe the tears away.

You laugh depreciatingly. "Well, of course. For God's sake, Genichirou. I nearly died!" You sound hysterical and hate yourself for it.


	2. Wash It All Away: Sanada's POV

"…_I nearly died!" _

You shudder at those words. You don't know what the team would've done if that had happened. What _you _would've done. You, in a random act of impulse, pull him to you like you've always wanted to.

"But you _didn't_. You're back," you whisper fiercely. _He's alive. _Sure, you liked taking care of him, but Yukimura wouldn't be himself if he couldn't stand by himself. He's strong and you love him for it.

He doesn't say anything but allows you to hold him. And it's enough. It's more than enough when he rotates his body, not to get away like you feared, but to return your embrace.

"Genichirou," he says to get your attention, but probably aware that he always had it.

"Hmm?"

"Sorry, I got your cap wet." He gingerly unlocks his arms from around you, and you release him. He hands it to you. So _that_'s what's been wet against your back.

"Ah, that's okay." Your brow furrows. "As penance, would you mind telling me what you were doing out there?"

He smiles in that way he has, like he has a secret. "I like the rain. It's real; it reminds me that _I'm _real, too."

When it rains, it also means no tennis. But with his arms once more around you, it doesn't seem so important.


	3. Boundaries: Kirihara's POV

You stand there at the bus stop, glaring at the rain as though it is responsible for making him late. He will come. You are not standing here in vain. You aren't. Despite your absolute conviction, a part of you is still relieved when he shows up with an umbrella. It falters when Sanada appears beside him, his hand holding said umbrella aloft. Feeling slightly put out, you wave at them with the hand not holding your own umbrella.

"Buchou! Sanada!"

"Akaya." Buchou's voice is always soft, but it is not always kind. You know he has a soft spot for you and you plan to use it. All three of you stand there

"Sanada, have you moved? 'cause I don't recall you living anywhere near us." You blink innocently at them.

Buchou tries to disguise his laugh by coughing.

"That's all for today, Genichirou." Sanada responds by pulling his cap down and walking off with the umbrella. But not before touching Yukimura's shoulder and smiling slightly.

You scowl before tugging at Buchou to stand beside you under your umbrella. He does and both of you watch the rain fall.

There are invisible lines you can't cross. Last season,, when Buchou arrived on the court, you would be allowed to run up to him, but you couldn't throw your arms around him like you wanted to. Still want to, but not as much. Now you have Yanagi for that sort of thing. Still, you'd wonder what all that power confined by flesh and sweet smiles would feel like.

Buchou, who exceeds all these rules, allows you to cross the line this once. You kiss him to make sure he's real. You know it is when for a second he kisses you back. You pull back at the same time. It was nice, better than nice, but it will not happen again. And you are satisfied because it was nice and because that emptiness you feel is slowly going away.


	4. Revelation: Kirihara's POV

_For you, there are two simple rules that are absolute. One is that Yukimura is god, is tennis. The second is that he's not allowed to get hurt. He's not allowed to be human, which is why you find yourself punching the wall of the Rikkai Dai locker room._

_You punch the wall again. It doesn't hurt enough. You feel no less helpless. There isn't even any blood. Pathetic. You wish the wall could hit back. Angry, almost incensed, you punch it again. And again. Until you're bleeding and can see evidence of your pain. You smirk but it holds no real malevolence or smugness._

_"Akaya?" That clipped tone. You whirl and see Yanagi's glasses flash. _

_"What?" you demand tersely. You're not crying yet, but you're close. He continues to stare, to asses. _

_Finally he says, "Let me look at that." He takes your hand and you stifle a whimper. You wait for him, scowling, to ask why. But he doesn't. _

_"Seiichi will be fine. He will recover." You don't believe him. You haven't seen Buchou for yourself and can't trust Yanagi to tell you the truth. He would lie to protect you, you know he would. Your disbelief is etched on your face. He sighs. _

_"Let's go get some hot chocolate. I'll pay." You shake your head, not at the offer, but at yourself. You're such a child. Buchou is fine, he has to be. He promised. Even though he's buchou, he can't break the rules which outline your entire existence. _

_You'll bring him that trophy even if you have to lose control to achieve his dream. And really, his dreams are your dreams...._

How foolish. You sigh. You didn't give him the trophy. You _failed_. And you can't even make it up to him because he's pretending to be fine. And He's with Sanada. But that's good. Sanada will take good care of him. He better or you might have to sweep Buchou off his feet and save him from sheer bordom. You can only do caligraphy and fencing for so long. You tell youself as you wander around and wind up at Renji's door that it really was imperitive that you kiss him.

You shake your head, sending droplets of water every which where.

"Careful. Akaya, how many times must I tell you not to be so reckless?"

You're about to sigh again, a bit more happilly this time, but a hand catches your wrist and pulls you into a warm, dry embrace.

"Thanks, Renji," you murmur into his collar bone.

"Come in. You're soaking wet. What would Buchou do if we lost our Ace?"

You smile at that. Renji knows just what to say. He knows when to give you advice on how to improve your serve so it becomes 15% heavier before it hits the opponent's racket. He He knows to use Yukimura's title. He knows when to call you Akaya and when to press a quick kiss on your neck. He proabbly knows Yukimura is in your heart as well as tennis. But you don't mind him knowing that becase lately, there's another person in your dreams. And he's more tangible than a goal or a dream- he's right here, now, making sure you don't die before you have a chance to show the world and those Seiaku freaks who you are.

Your dream now is to beat either eyes-closed Fuji Shusuke or that arrogant rookie.

Yukimura is back. You are sort of relieved. Fighting with him is way more fun than fighting for him. You can focus now, now that Buchou is back. And you will train very hard. Because when you get to Nationals and Seishun is the last barrier to their third Nationals tittle....Buchou's gonna need you.

You. Rikkai Dai's Ace. Kirihara Akaya.

~Fin


End file.
